Windtight sealing means for a window or the like having a pair of horizontally movable panel assemblies

ABSTRACT

Windtight sealing means substantially in the form of an openbottom boxlike member adapted to be displaceably installed in a prescribed position between a pair of parallel spaced rails on the sill of a supporting frame of a window or the like. The boxlike member has water inlet openings and water outlet openings therethrough, the latter being normally held in register with an aperture formed through one of the rails, so that any water, as of rain, which has collected in the spacing between the rails can be drained therethrough. When the sill is to be cleaned, for instance, the boxlike member is movable to any convenient location on the sill.

Dec. 2, 1975 3.845599 11/1974 52/209 3.849938 ll/l974 49/476 XWINDTIGI-IT SEALING MEANS FOR A Thompson WINDOW OR THE LIKE HAVING APAIR OF I-IORIZONTALLY MOVABLE PANEL ASSEMBLIES Primary ExaminerPhilipC. Kannan {75] Inventor: Shuichi Hosooka, Namerikawa, Attorney AgentFirm-Bueknam and Archer Japan ABSTRACT [73] Assignee: Yoshida KogyoK.K., Tokyo, Japan Filed: Dec. 27, 1974 Windtight sealing meanssubstantially in the form of Appl. No.: 536,824 an open-bottom boxlikemember adapted to be dis placeably installed in a prescribed positionbetween a 30 F pair of parallel spaced rails on the sill of a supportingorelgn Apphcatlon Pnonty Data frame of a window or the like. The boxlikemember 1973 has water inlet openings and water outlet openingstherethrough, the latter being normally held in register [52] US. Cl.

49/471; 49/476; with an aperture" formed through one of the rails, sothat any water, as of rain, which has collected in the [5 l] Int.

spacing between the rails can be drained therethrough. When the sill isto be cleaned, for instance, the boxlike member is movable to anyconvenient location on the sill.

Field of Search 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 3,636,660 Peterson 49/408WINDTIGHT SEALING MEANS FOR A WINDOW OR THE LIKE HAVING A PAIR OFHORIZONTALLY MOVABLE PANEL ASSEMBLIES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates to windtight sealing means for a window or the likehaving a pair of sashes or like panel assemblies which are mountedwithin a supporting frame for relative horizontal movement. Morespecifically, the invention relates to the windtight sealing meansadapted to be displaceably mounted in a prescribed position between apair of parallel spaced rails arranged lengthwise on the sill of thesupporting frame to guide the movement of the respective panelassemblies.

There has been known windtight sealing means that can be slidablymounted between the rails on the sill of a supporting frame for a pairof horizontally movable panel assemblies. The known windtight sealingmeans is movable along the rails away from the prescribed normalposition, as when the panel assemblies are to be removed from orinstalled within the supporting frame. However, since the knownwindtight sealing means is merely slidably mounted between the sillrails and is not provided with any suitable means against its unduemovement, it has been impossible to fix the same in the prescribedposition when subjected to stresses applied as by the opening andclosing movement of the window or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to providewindtight sealing means which can be securely mounted through a simpleprocedure in a prescribed position on the sill of a supporting frame fora pair of horizontally movable sashes or similar panel assemblies of awindow or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide windtight sealing meanswhich is readily movable from its prescribed position on the sill alonga pair of rails extending longitudinally thereon, as when the sill is tobe cleaned or when the panel assemblies are to be removed from orinstalled within the supporting frame.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide windtight sealingmeans which permits-the drainage therethrough of any water which hascollected between the rails.

Briefly, this invention contemplates the provision of windtight sealingmeans to be displaceably mounted in a prescribed position between a pairof parallel spaced rails on the sill of a supporting frame of a windowor the like which includes a pair of sashes or like panel assembliesmovable along the respective rails. The windtight sealing means includesan open-bottom boxlike member having water inlet and water outletopenings therethrough, the water outlet openings being at least partlybounded or surrounded by rim means projecting forwardly from the boxlikemember. As the boxlike member is slidably mounted in position betweenthe pair of rails on the sill, spring means causes the rim means toproject into an aperture formed through one of the rails, therebyholding the water outlet openings in register with the aperture. Sincethe water inlet openings in the boxlike member are open to the spacingbetween the rails, any water tending to pool in the rail spacing can becaused to flow out of the aperture through the box-like member. The rimmeans is readily withdrawable from within the aperture against the forceof the spring means when the boxlike member is to be moved away from theprescribed position along the rails.

The features which are believed to be noval and characteristic of thisinvention are set forth in particular in the claims appended hereto. Theinvention itself, however, together with the further objects andadvantages thereof, will become apparent in the course of the followingdescription when read in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich like reference characters denote like parts throughout the severalviews.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofwindtight sealing means constructed in accordance with the concepts ofthis invention;

FIG. 2 is a partly broken away, top plan view showing the windtightsealing means of FIG. 1 as mounted in a prescribed position between apair of rails on the sill of a supporting frame for a window or thelike;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the windtight sealingmeans displaced from its prescribed position on the sill; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to FIG. 1, thewindtight sealing means illustrated therein by way of a preferredembodiment of this invention includes an open-bottom boxlike member 10.The interior of this boxlike member 10 is bisected into a pair ofopposed chambers 11 by a transverse partition 12 located centrally withrespect to the longitudinal dimension of the boxlike member.

A pair of water inlet openings 13 are formed through the respectiveopposed side walls 14 of the boxlike member 10, one of the side walls 14with its water inlet opening 13 being unseeable in FIG. 1. The waterinlet openings 13, of course, are open to the respective chambers 11. Apair of water outlet openings 15 are formed through the front wall 16 ofthe boxlike member 10. The water outlet openings 15 are arranged inside-by-side relationship, on both sides of the partition 12, and areopen to the respective chambers 11. It will be noted that both wateroutlet openings 15 are bounded or surrounded by rims 17 of rectangulararrangement projecting slightly forwardly of the front wall 16 of theboxlike member 10. Of the four rims bounding. the water outlet openings15, the pair of side rims 17a are inclined toward each other.

A pair of ears 18 project rearwardly from both ends of the rear wall 19of the boxlike member 10, and a leaf spring 20 of plastics or likematerial is installed between the ears 18. The leaf spring 20 has araised midportion 20a which projects slightly more rearwardly than theears 18.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the windtight sealing means of theabove described configuration is mounted in position between a pair ofhorizontal, parallel spaced rails 21 and 22 on a sill 23. Although notfully illustrated, it is understood that the sill 23 constitutes a partof the generally rectangular supporting frame for a pair of sashes orsimilar panel assemblies adapted to move horizontally along therespective rails 21 and 22. The rail 21 is hereinafter referred to asthe front rail, and the rail 22 as the rear rail.

The front rail 21 has a longitudinal groove 24, FIG. 5, that is formedalong the bottom edge of its surface opposed to the rear rail 22, thegroove 24 being adapted to slidably receive at least the rims 17 of theboxlike member 10. Further, in a prescribed position in the groove 24,the front rail 21 has an aperture 25 formed therethrough which is soshaped and sized as to neatly receive the rims 17 of the boxlike member10. Another longitudinal groove 26, adapted to slidably receive the ears18 and the leaf spring 20 of the boxlike member 10, is formed along thebottom edge of the rear rail 22 so as to be open toward the front rail21.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, the boxlike member is shown in its prescribed normalposition on the sill 23, in which the rims 17 are caused by the leafspring to project into the aperture in the front rail 21. It will beseen that any water tending to collect between the front and rear rails21 and 22 can be drained without moving the boxlike member 10, as suchwater will flow into its inlet openings 13 and out of its outletopenings 15.

When the sill 23 is to be cleaned, or when the panel assemblies are tobe removed from, or mounted within, the supporting frame, the windtightsealing means may be pressed in either direction along the sill. Sincethe side rims 17a are inclined toward each other, as previouslymentioned with reference to FIG. 1, the complete rims 17 are relativelyeasily withdrawable from within the aperture 25 against the force of theleaf spring 20. Alternatively, the boxlike member 10 may first be forcedaway from the front rail 21 to cause retraction of the rims 17 out ofthe aperture 25 against the effect of the leaf spring 20 and then bemoved longitudinally of the sill 23 in either direction. The windtightsealing means is now free to slide along the rails 21 and 22, asillustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

It is understood that the transverse dimension of the windtight sealingmeans, inclusive of the rims 17 and the ears 18, is set slightly widerthan the spacing between the opposed walls of the longitudinal grooves24 and 26 in the respective rails 21 and 22. For reinstallation of thewindtight sealing means in the prescribed normal position, the same maybe slid back along the rails 21 and 22 until the rims 17 are urged intothe aperture 25 by the leaf spring 20, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.The boxlike member 10 can then be securely held in position against easydisplacement.

While the invention has been shown and described hereinbefore in veryspecific aspects thereof, it is to be understood that the inventionitself is not to be restricted by the exact showing of the drawings orthe description thereof. For example, the leaf spring 20 may notnecessarily be of the illustrated shape but can be of any other suitableconfiguration if it functions to urge the rims 17 into the aperture 25in the front rail 21 when the windtight sealing means is to be mountedin position between the rails 21 and 22, and to yield when the sealingmeans is to be moved away from its normal position. It is alsonoteworthy that the pair of water outlet openings 15 may not becompletely surrounded by the four rims 17 of rectangular arrangement asshown in FIG. 1. Instead, there may be provided only one rim along thealigned top edges of the outlet openings.

Thus, a latitude of modification, substitution and change is intended inthe foregoing disclosure. It is therefore appropriate that the inventionbe construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the fair meaning orproper scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a supporting frame of a window or the like, wherein saidsupporting frame includes a sill having front and rear rails arranged inparallel spaced relationship thereon, said front rail having a firstgroove extending longitudinally along its bottom edge and an apertureformed in a prescribed position of said groove therethrough, said rearrail having a second groove extending longitudinally along its bottomedge, said first and second grooves being open toward each other,windtight sealing means comprising, in combination, an openbottomboxlike member adapted to be mounted between said front and rear rails,said boxlike member having a pair of opposed side walls through whichthere are formed a pair of water inlet openings, respectively, and afront wall through which there are formed a pair of water outletopenings in side-by-side arrangement, a transverse partition within saidboxlike member dividing the interior thereof into a pair of opposedchambers, each of said chambers being open through one of said waterinlet openings and one of said water outlet openings, rim meansprojecting forwardly of said front wall of said boxlike member to atleast partly surround said water outlet openings, said rim means beingslidable through said first groove and being capable of projecting intosaid aperture to hold said water outlet openings in registeredrelationship thereto, a pair of ears projecting rearwardly of saidboxlike member and slidable through said second groove, and spring meansbiasing said boxlike member toward said front rail.

2. The windtight sealing means as defined in claim 1, wherein said rimmeans comprises four rims arranged rectangularly to completely surroundsaid water outlet openings in said boxlike member, said four rimsincluding a pair of side rims which are inclined toward each other.

3. The windtight sealing means as defined in claim 1, wherein saidspring means is a leaf spring arranged between said ears of said boxlikemember, said leaf spring including a portion projecting furtherrearwardly of said ears and being also slidably received in said secondgroove.

1. In a supporting frame of a window or the like, wherein saidsupporting frame includes a sill having front and rear rails arranged inparallel spaced relationship thereon, said front rail having a firstgroove extending longitudinally along its bottom edge and an apertureformed in a prescribed position of said groove therethrough, said rearrail having a second groove extending longitudinally along its bottomedge, said first and second grooves being open toward each other,windtight sealing means comprising, in combination, an openbottomboxlike member adapted to be mounted between said front and rear rails,said boxlike member having a pair Of opposed side walls through whichthere are formed a pair of water inlet openings, respectively, and afront wall through which there are formed a pair of water outletopenings in side-by-side arrangement, a transverse partition within saidboxlike member dividing the interior thereof into a pair of opposedchambers, each of said chambers being open through one of said waterinlet openings and one of said water outlet openings, rim meansprojecting forwardly of said front wall of said boxlike member to atleast partly surround said water outlet openings, said rim means beingslidable through said first groove and being capable of projecting intosaid aperture to hold said water outlet openings in registeredrelationship thereto, a pair of ears projecting rearwardly of saidboxlike member and slidable through said second groove, and spring meansbiasing said boxlike member toward said front rail.
 2. The windtightsealing means as defined in claim 1, wherein said rim means comprisesfour rims arranged rectangularly to completely surround said wateroutlet openings in said boxlike member, said four rims including a pairof side rims which are inclined toward each other.
 3. The windtightsealing means as defined in claim 1, wherein said spring means is a leafspring arranged between said ears of said boxlike member, said leafspring including a portion projecting further rearwardly of said earsand being also slidably received in said second groove.